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BLOG2022-07-21T17:35:28-05:00

March 2023

Be the Hope 2023

“Last year we held our first Be the Hope offering for missions on Easter Sunday. From what we received that Sunday ($14,210) and in [...]

February 2023

God’s Time. Not Mine.

“Have you ever noticed that God rarely consults with us about our calendars? Nor does God send “save the date” notices. It’s as if [...]

Impossible Commands

“Lent starts this week. On February 22, Ash Wednesday, we will begin the forty days of preparation leading to Easter. Often, Christians look at [...]

Out of Sync

“For kids, Valentine’s Day doesn’t mean love, romance, or flowers. It means candy: conversation hearts, heart-shaped chocolates, and every kind of sugary confection that [...]

How Long, O Lord?

“How long, O Lord?” Psalm 13 begins with this question and I have to confess that I have been wondering about that myself. How [...]

January 2023

State of the Church

On January 24, we held our annual State of the Church address and Church Conference meeting. We began with worship and a video highlighting [...]

Hymn of Promise

“In the bulb there is a flower. In the seed an apple tree… In the cold and snow of winter, there’s a spring that [...]

Shmita

In the Old Testament there is the concept of the Shmita year. Every 7th year there was to be a reset. The Israelites were [...]

First Words

A few weeks back I wrote about John Wesley’s last words: “Best of all, God is with us.” These are great last words. Today I [...]

Someone Like You

What do a bold businesswoman, a faithful friend, an imperfect parent, and a man terrified of public speaking have in common? Just this: they [...]

December 2022

Last Words

It’s hard to believe but I am writing my last words to you for 2022. Where did the year go? I look forward to [...]

Meals on Wheels

Are you looking for a way to help out in our community? We have an enthusiastic & energetic group of people from Resurrection that [...]

Once in a Blue Moon

This year Christmas will be on a Sunday. Unlike Easter, which is always on a Sunday so the date changes each year, Christmas is [...]

November 2022

Too Much of a Good Thing?

This year I’ll have at least three “Thanksgiving” meals. On Thursday, we’ll be at Resurrection church. Then we’ll go to Tami’s parents in Wisconsin [...]

One Thing is Certain

There are many events that take place in our lives; some are filled with joy, and some bring sorrow. All of these event’s shape [...]

New Bishop

On Saturday, November 5, a new bishop was appointed to serve the United Methodist churches in Minnesota. I can’t tell you who that person [...]

October 2022

Boo!

Halloween is a favorite of many people. I am not one of them (though I do enjoy the candy leftover after the trick or [...]

On the Radio

My car has a dozen or so radio presets, but I only need three – WCCO for the Twins and the Timberwolves, KFAN for [...]

Milestone Surprise

As I write this on Monday, October 10th, I’m looking forward to the Bible Milestone events coming up. The Milestone program is a great way [...]

Another Birthday

Iam fast approaching another birthday. Birthdays aren’t quite what they used to be. As a child my mother would make a special birthday cake [...]

Letters of Thanks

The Apostle Paul starts off eight of his letters in the bible by thanking the persons he’s writing to. To the church in Rome, [...]

September 2022

The Ant and the Grasshopper

Fall has officially started. One of Aesop’s fables is the story of the ant and the grasshopper. The grasshopper spends the summer and fall [...]

Order Poinsettias & more

Time to order your poinsettias and holiday greens from Gertens! All orders will be made online only using their website (you'll need to enter [...]

Take It Outside

Growing up with three brothers we often got a little too “rambunctious” in the house and would be told to take it outside. There [...]

Ely to Ortonville

Before I moved to Hastings, I was the district superintendent of the North Star district. Each fall I would visit the district churches that [...]

Some Days Are Like That

Finally, I was going to get some long-deferred chores done. I had a potted tree that I’ve wanted to get in the ground all [...]

August 2022

Up At The Lake: Part Two

We made it! We have been up north, fishing on Leech Lake near Walker, and we’re having a great time laughing, eating, resting, eating, [...]

Up At The Lake: Part One

We are headed “Up North” this week! That verbiage is kind of funny – a term that is uniquely Minnesotan. If you’ve been in [...]

Happy Place

This week I am in my happy place – the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA). Last week 27 youth and leaders were at [...]

Camp

Well, here we are – August! It’s almost time for the last trip to the lake, countless county fairs, and State Fair Fun. First, [...]

July 2022

Drought

It’s been a hot week with little rain. The fields at our farm are showing signs of stress. We hear of record-breaking temperatures in [...]

Just Do It

Big, action packed vacations to exotic places are wonderful, but sometimes it’s nice to take some time off without all the travel and jam-packed [...]

Weathering the Storms

Ahh, summer! I love these long days, lots of sunshine, kids playing outside, no school, no shoveling – just a wonderful time all around! [...]

June 2022

Look What I Made

Even from my office I could hear the excitement. “Look what I made! Look what made!” said the child holding out the craft made [...]

You Never Know

When I was a child, I didn’t get to attend VBS (Vacation Bible School) at my church. We only had one car and my [...]

Boundary Waters

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area is one of my favorite places in the world. In most of the Boundary Waters there are no roads, no [...]

May 2022

Boundary Waters Checklist

The key to a successful Boundary Waters trip (with an outfitted guide) is proper preparation, so be sure to pack these essentials: Sleeping bag [...]

More than a Memory

Digging through a pile of inherited old family pictures, I came across this photo of the Memorial Day procession to the cemetery in my [...]

Annual Conference

This week is Annual Conference, the yearly gathering of the pastors and representatives from all the United Methodist Churches in Minnesota. This is the [...]

The Couple

Last Sunday we had a couple visit for worship. They live near Fargo but were in the area enjoying the bike trails around [...]

At Last…

See! The winter is past;      the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth;      the season of singing [...]

Too Many to Count

I am one of 6 kids, and have always loved my bigger family. I had often imagined of someday having a large family of [...]

April 2022

Blessed to Be a Blessing  

When God blesses Abraham and tells him his descendants will become a great nation, God also tells him that he will be a blessing [...]

The Waiting

It seems like we’ve spent an eternity between winter and spring. Easter has passed and still the weather is cold and gray. I can’t [...]

Who We Are

This Sunday we will celebrate the Resurrection - the day Jesus rose again to life after having been dead and buried. It is the [...]

Holy Week is Coming!

On April 10th (a week from this writing) we will enter the most significant time of the year for Christians: Holy Week. Holy Week [...]

March 2022

State of the Church 2022

Greetings! On March 22, 2022 we held our yearly Church Conference with the State of the Church address and election of leadership.  Below is [...]

More Promise than Present

Well, it’s spring…at least that’s what the calendar says. But in Minnesota it’s always more promise than present in March. Yes, the snow piles [...]

Following Jesus Isn’t Easy

Most of the Christians in Ukraine belong to Orthodox churches. In the Orthodox calendar March 6 was “Forgiveness Sunday”. They enter into Lent by [...]

Be The Hope

Early in 2000 we announced an ambitious effort to have a major impact on the lives of people in our community and across the [...]

February 2022

God’s Time. Not Mine.

There is an old expression, “People plan. God laughs.” I don’t know if God was laughing last Tuesday but for the second time we [...]

Order Easter Flowers

Time to order your easter flowers from Gertens! This year, all orders will be made online only using their website (you'll need to enter [...]

St. Valentine’s Day

St. Valentine’s Day is a lot more complicated than red roses, sweet cards, and candy hearts. Not that those are simple either. Many of us [...]

In The Olympics

I've always liked the winter Olympics more than the summer ones. Maybe it’s because I’m more likely to watch TV in the winter. Or [...]

January 2022

Glad That’s Over

There is an old joke about a Presbyterian pastor who was a strict believer in predestination. He believed that everything that happened to him, [...]

The Ground Blizzard

I was coming back from a church in the western part of Minnesota when I encountered the worst driving conditions I have ever experienced. I [...]

Missions New and Old

Resurrection Church has supported United Methodist missionaries Ardell and Gordy Graner for many years. Next month they will both be retired after 32 years [...]

Blame It On December

Well, the Vikings are done for the season so it’s time to turn to thoughts of baseball. Every year I count down the [...]

It’s Cold Out There!

Temperatures have hit rock bottom and it seems people approach such weather in two different ways. There are those who embrace winter (or at [...]

December 2021

A New Year

As a child, New Year’s Eve was a big deal. Usually we were at our grandparents’. There would be food and games and laughter [...]

Hot or Cold?

Weather this month just can’t seem to make up its mind. From brutal windchills and snow one week to a string of 40s the [...]

November 2021

Whose Birthday?

My oldest grandson is a “Christmas baby”. Actually, he was born a few days before Christmas, but in his mind he and Jesus share [...]

Already?

When does it happen? When does it go from “Will Christmas ever come?” to “It’s Christmas-time already!”? Does it happen when you go from [...]

Project Share

Every year, Resurrection’s members have generously supported the efforts of Hastings Family Service, especially during the Advent season. Following is information on how you [...]

It’s Not The Cold

I’ve never been bothered much by the cold. I love taking a walk on a frosty morning when even a blade of grass or an [...]

Get to Know Duncan!

Duncan Kusant is a youth intern at REZ. Now for some amazing facts: Briefly: Born in 2001, I am a youth intern here at Resurrection. [...]

October 2021

A Month of Thanks

In America, Thanksgiving is a one-day holiday in November. But the bible tells us to give thanks all the time. So this November we [...]

More Blessed To Give?

Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). Is that really the case? At our Fall Festival this month [...]

How Many Birthdays?

I write this on my birthday (October 12th). I’m not one to dread birthdays. I’m glad for everyone I can get. However, they do [...]

September 2021

Do You Speak “Christian”?

Christians sometimes speak a language that is almost unintelligible to those outside the church. Think of how phrases such as “I’ve been redeemed”, [...]

Hurricane Response

Thank you to everyone who filled a flood cleaning bucket for UMCOR’s Hurricane Ida response. The many buckets of supplies you donated are being added [...]

Best of Times

We had a great time on vacation last month. I hope you had some good times this summer, too. But, the best is yet [...]

Never Stop Learning

The first day of school is upon us – new backpacks and shoes, packing lunches, school buses on the roads, teachers (both seasoned [...]

August 2021

Fall Kickoff

Labor Day weekend is almost here! This has always been a weekend full of mixed emotions for me. I always appreciated a day off [...]

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